Improvement in machinery for fulling cloth



UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

RODNEY HUNT AND JAMES H. WAITE, OF ORANGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENTjIN MACHINERY FOR FULLING CLOTH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,005, dated July 29, 1362.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RODNEY HUNT and J AMEs H. WAITE, citizens of the United States of America, and residentsv of Orange, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Machine for Fulling Cloth; and we do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 isa side elevation, Fig. 2 alongitudinal section, and Fig. 3- a transverse section, of the said machine. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken between its main and through its auxiliary squeeze rollers. 'The plane of section of Fig. 2 is between a pair of its auxiliary squeeze-rollers. Fig. 5 is a vertical and transverse section taken through the auxiliary squeeze-rollers. Fig. 6 is atop view, and Fig. 7 a horizontal section, of one of the packingchambers and its jaws.

The nature of our invention consists in the combination of a soaping or liquoring cistern or apparatus separate from the main foldingspace with the said foldngspace and two sets of main and auxiliary squeeze-rollers; also, in an arrangement of two cloth guides or partitions with the main squeeze-rollers, their folding-space, spring-jaws, and packing-,conduit when combined with an auxiliary set of squeeze-rollers, or the same and a soaping or liquoring apparatus, and arranged in a case, as hereinafter specified; also, in the arrangement of a pair ot' spring-jaws and their packing-conduit with the main and auxiliary sets of squeeze-rollers arranged in a case and so as to operate as specified.

In the drawings, A and B denote the main squeeze-rollers as arranged within a case, E. One ofv the said rollers is placed directly over the other, while both have their axes horizontal. A driving-pulley, C, is fixed on the shaft of the lower roller, whose journals are sup ported in boxes, (shown at a a as fastened to a gallowsframe, D,)within which the case E of the machine is disposed, as shown in the several igures.

Directly in rear of the set of main or horizontal rollers A B are one or more sets of auxiliary or vertical rollers, F G. The drawings-represent two sets of auxiliary rollers. The machine represented by them is what may be termed a double machine, or one calcu- 'by two vertical cross-bars, f g, the upper of which is slotted longitudinally of it where one of the spindles passes through it, in order that the roller of such spindle may be able to move a little in a direction away from its, fellow. The spindle which passes through the slot of the bar extends into au eye in the extremity of a rod, h, which passes through one side of the case E and aspring or block of india-rubber, t', and has a head, k, to bear against the outer end of the spring.

The journals Z Z of the upper of the main squeeze-rollers rest in boxes m m, so constructed as to admit the roller to freely rise vertically, y

and so as to press against rubber springs n n, arranged over such journals, as shown in Fig, 3. While the lower end of each spring issupported in a saddle, o, which rests on the journal, the upper end of each spring bears against a bracket, p, extended from the frame D. j

In rear of the auxiliary rollers F G there is a horizontal guide-roller, H, which extends across the interior of the case E, and is arranged relatively to the rollers, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Furthermore, a box or cistern, l, is affixed to one side of the case and has a pipe, p, leading from it and made to open directly through the upper part of a curved folding-passage, which is arranged on the bottom of the case E and with reference to the roller B, as shown in Figs. 2v and 3. From the upper part of this folding-passage au inclined plane, L, extends to the curved surface of the roller B, and acts as a scraper to detach the cloth from the roller, under circumstances as hereinafter set forth. A similar scraper, M, is applied to the upper roller, A.

In front of the bite ofthe two rollers A B is the packing-conduit N, which is open both at its front and rear ends and has its vertical sides extended between and nearly up to the bite of the two rollers. Vithin this conduit two jaws, O O, are placed, which, at their rear ends are hinged to the opposite vertical sides of the conduit, while their front ends are close together, the jaws making an angle with each other, as shown in Fig. 7. Each jaw may be uted lengthwise on its inner surface. The front end of each jaw is connected with the longer arm of one of two levers, l? P, whose shorter arms have springs Q Q applied to them Y in such manner as to cause the levers to press the front ends of the jaws toward one another. Between the two jaws and the top and bottom of the conduit in which they are situated is a space, within which the cloth will pack or be packed as it passes from between the two rollers A B.

In the operation of the above-described machine a piece of cloth, as it comes from the loom, is to be run over the roller H and between the rollers F G. From thence it should be made to pass between the rollersAB,thence into the packing-conduit N, and between the jaws O O, thence downward into the folding passage K, w here it may be laid in folds. Finally the two ends of the cloth are to be sewed or connected together. This having been accomplished, and the cistern I having been supplied withliquid soap or the saponaceous liquid usually employed in mills or machineryfor fnlling cloth, the rollerB-should be put in revolution in a direction to cause the cloth to be drawn between the rollers F G and delivered into the conduit N. By the action of the rollers F G thecloth will be compressed widthwise, and whilepassing between the rollers A B it will be again compressed, and at the same time will be attened in a different direction. After passing between the rollers A B, the cloth will by them be packed into the space between the two jaws O O, and in this way it will be fulled more or less, and after it may have accumulated therein it will be forced out from between the jaws, which by the pressure on them will be/caused to separate asunder and allow some of the cloth to escape out of the conduit N. From the fullingconduit Nthe cloth will pass into the foldingpassage K, where it will fold in a pile and will receive more or less of the saponaceous fluid, which will be discharged on it by the pipe p. While passing between the main and auxiliary rollers A B and F G much of the liquor will be squeezed out of the cloth and will fall back upon those parts oflthe piece which may be below such rollers.

In fulling many kinds of cloth we can dispense with the fulling'conduit and its jaw, and employ the remainder of the mechanisms in which case the part L, hereinbefore described, will serve not only to conduct the cloth from the rollerB into the passage K, but to detach the cloth from the roller or prevent the cloth from being wound around the roller. In order that we may either so employ or dispense with the conduit N and its jaws, such conduit andjaws should be so applied to the case E as to be readily removable therefrom. The scraper M operates with the roller A to prevent the cloth from adhering thereto and being wound about it.

We would observe that one of the jaws may be stationary and the other movable, or the conduit may be made with but one jaw or gate provided with a closing-spring. Ve prefer, however, to use two movable jaws arranged as described. By the employment of two sets of squeeze-rollers so arranged that the axis of one set may stand at right angles to those ofthe other the cloth is prevented from being wrinkled or plaited lengthwise, as it will be when one set only of such rollers is used.

Of the abovedescribcdmachine we claim as our inventionl. The combination of a soaping or liquoring cistern or apparatus separate from the main folding-space K, with the said foldingspace and the two sets of main and auxiliary squeezerollers, A B F G.

2. The arrangement of the two cloth-guides or conducting-partitions L M with the main squeeze-rollers A B, their folding space K, spring-jaws O O, and packing conduit N, when combined with an auxiliary set of sque'ezerollers, or the same and a soaping or liquoring apparatus, and arranged in a case, as explained. I

3. The arrangement of a pair of springjaws, O O, and their packing-conduit N, with the main and auxiliary sets ofsqueeZe-rollers arranged in a case, E, and so as to operate as described. y

. RODNEY HUNT.

JAMES H. TvVAlTE. Vitnesses:

HIRAM WooDwAnD,

GEO. E. B. HOWARD. 

